Thursday, January 30, 2014

Love
at first sight is one of those enduring mysteries that the majority
of us believe in and surveys show more than half have experienced.
That the object of such affection is a married woman is as classic a
dilemma as Paris and Helen of Troy.

In
“The Right Kind of Wrong,” a romantic comedy, or perhaps a comedy
about the madness of romance, we are introduced to Leo, a total
romantic and a failed-writer-turned-dishwasher made famous for his
many flaws in a blog called “Why You Suck,” a huge Internet
success written by his ex-wife Julie (played by Kristen Hager).
Then Leo meets Colette (Sara Canning), the girl of his dreams… on
the day she is marrying the perfect man. And so, the ultimate
underdog story begins as Leo, a fearless dreamer, risks all to show
Colette and the whole wide world all that is right with a man
famous for being wrong.

Convinced
Colette is his soul mate, Leo goes on the ‘unconventional tours’
that she leads in the scenic town of Mount Yalo and doggedly observes
her secret daily rituals. He invites her anonymously to witness him
in action – in his job as a dishwasher ‘with themes.’ In the
process he discovers that Colette is an outsider, like himself, with
a wicked sense of humor and a passion for speaking her mind. In
Leo’s war to win Colette’s heart, he gets beat up by kids, loses
his home, his job, and (temporarily) his cat. Leo’s pursuit
of Colette also changes Leo himself. Because when he discovers
Colette has read Julie’s book… he reads it to know what he is up
against. And taking in Julie’s complaints, he is finally forced to
face the ways he let Julie down. And the ways that his refusal to
listen to others -- has let others in his life down too, including
himself.

“Colette
is a strong-willed woman,” observed Canning, “and, at first,
she's really not having this crazy pursuit from Leo, bombarding her
at work and doing crazy things all over town. But somehow, he manages
to find his way in.” At first, Leo’s demented behavior
substantiates the claims Julie makes in her blog-turned-book. “But
bit by bit, Colette begins to see a lot of her own traits reflected
in Leo's actions and she realizes Leo might not be too far off the
mark. Colette has a great line after she reads Julie's book and the
blog and she says to Leo, “You know, a lot of the things she
[Julie] calls wrong don't seem wrong to me.””

“From
my first chemistry test with Ryan, I really hoped that this would all
work out and I'd be sitting here in this gorgeous location shooting
this film,” said Canning. “I think he's perfect for Leo. We laugh
all the time. We laugh in between all these really difficult scenes
that we have to shake it off. And he's right there. There's no
transition for him between his crazy lovely self off-camera and then
what he brings to a scene. It’s great to watch him and to play with
him.”

Kwanten
returned the affection in his observations about Canning, when he
wasn’t ducking her cross punch. “Sara brings such an exuberance
to that character. I don't think the girl actually sleeps. She's sort
of permanently buzzed. And she loves this character, she loves the
story and I couldn't ask for sort of a better co-star.”

“In
love, there are no boundaries and there are no obstacles, that is the
theme of “The Right Kind of Wrong.” It’s a fantasy that is fun
to subscribe to from time to time and if you do, you’ll root for
Leo and feel romantically transported to where you can believe what
Leo, our hero, says, which is that nothing is impossible,”
concludes producer Lantos.

“The
Right Kind of Wrong” opens February 6 in cinemas from Axinite
Digicinema. Tune in to DWLL 94.7 for a chance to win free
posters and tickets to the pre-Valentine date movie of the year.

“The
story of the Monuments Men is one that really very few people know,”
says George Clooney, who returns to the director’s chair for the
story of a small group of artists, art historians, architects, and
museum curators who would lead the rescue of 1000 years of
civilization during World War II in his new film, The Monuments Men.
“Artists, art dealers, architects – these were men that were far
beyond the age that they were going to be drafted into a war or
volunteer. But they took on this adventure, because they had
this belief that culture can be destroyed. If they’d failed,
it could have meant the loss of six million pieces of art. They
weren’t going to let that happen – and the truth of the matter
is, they pulled it off.”

Part
of the drama of the film is that all of the Monuments Men are so
unsuited to serving as soldiers in wartime. “Wars are fought
by 18-year-olds,” says Clooney. “Once you get to the John
Goodmans and the Bob Balabans and the George Clooneys, you know –
these guys are not getting drafted.” Producing and writing partner
Grant Heslov adds: “They did it because it was clear that they were
the only people who could do it.”

The
answer was the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives group, which would
go to the front lines and, for the first time, try to save the
treasures that could be saved. “Culture was at risk,” says
Clooney. “You see it time and time again. You saw it in
Iraq – the museums weren’t protected, and you saw how much of
their culture was lost because of that.”

“Even
today, people are still trying to get back the art that was looted
from their families by the Nazis,”Heslov says, noting that just
recently, a treasure trove of looted art was discovered in a Munich
apartment – 1,500 works worth $1.5 billion, paintings by Matisse,
Picasso, Dix, and other artists that had been thought to be lost.

Clooney
and Heslov note that while the film is based on the true story of the
Monuments Men, they did take some liberties with the characters for
dramatic purposes. Though many of the characters are inspired
by real Monuments Men, Clooney and Heslov have invented characters
for the film. More importantly, even if the characters are
invented, their story is real. “We invented a few mundane
scenes, just to help the story along, but the things in the movie
that you’d think are so ridiculous and strange, ‘well, there’s
no way that those actually happened’ – those are the things that
actually happened,” says Clooney.

Meet
“The Monuments Men,” for the film, Clooney and Heslov were able
to attract a top tier of actors, including Matt Damon, Bill Murray,
John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate
Blanchett.

George
Clooney heads the cast in the role of Frank Stokes, a leading art
historian. The inspiration for Clooney’s character was art
historian George Stout.“In real life, he was a very scrappy guy.
He could do anything – like fix cars and radios.” The head
of the conservation department at the Fogg, and later the director of
the Worcester Art Museum and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in
Boston, Stout was on the front lines during the war, helping to
rescue cultural treasures in Caen, Maastricht, and Aachen, as well as
Nazi art repositories in Siegen, Heilbronn, Cologne, Merkers, and
Altaussee.

Matt
Damon takes on the role of James Granger and marks his sixth
collaboration with George Clooney. The James Granger
character is inspired by James Rorimer, who later became director of
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Granger’s relationship
with Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett) was inspired by Rorimer’s
interaction with Rose Valland, an employee of the Jeu de Paume
gallery in Paris.

Bill
Murray was excited to join The Monuments Men from the minute George
Clooney first told him about the project. Murray’s role,
Richard Campbell, is an architect. Murray’s character is
inspired by several real Monuments Men, including architect Robert
Posey. While embedded with Patton’s Third Army during the
war, Posey discovered the salt mine at Altaussee, where the Nazis had
stashed the Ghent Altarpiece, the Bruges Madonna, Vermeer’s The
Astronomer, and thousands of other works of art. For his
contributions, Posey was awarded the Legion of Honor from France and
the Order of Leopold from Belgium.

John
Goodman says that his character, Walter Garfield, represents the
people, men and women, who were stuck on the home front but eager to
help the war effort in any way they could. Goodman’s
character is inspired by the real-life Monuments Man Walker Hancock,
a renowned sculptor. Hancock was a native of St. Louis, as is
Goodman. “Oddly enough, when my mother and I would take the
bus to downtown St. Louis to go shopping, we’d pass one of his
sculptures, the Soldiers’ Memorial,” Goodman says. “It just put
me in touch with the character. It’s a small connection, but a
happy coincidence.”

Goodman’s
character, Walter Garfield, is paired with Jean Claude Clermont,
portrayed by Oscar®-winning actor Jean Dujardin, a re-teaming of
Goodman and Dujardin from “The Artist.” “Jean’s role as
Claude Clermont is a French Jew who is an art dealer in Marseilles,”
Dujardin explains. “He escapes and takes refuge in London with his
family. He is recruited by the American army for his artistic
knowledge. He’s not a soldier, but it’s really important for him
to take part in the war. He’s really proud to be a member of the
Monuments Men.”

“Downton
Abbey’s”Hugh Bonneville plays Donald Jeffries, a flawed man
seeking a second chance. “When the characters are introduced,
you see them in their natural habitats, so to speak,” Bonneville
explains. “Donald’s happens to be a pub. We come to learn that he
has made mistakes in life, has been unreliable and George’s
character gives him a second chance to re-embrace his first love,
which is art.”

Bob
Balaban takes on the role of Preston Savitz. “Savitz is an
intellectual, an art historian and a theatrical impresario,”
Balaban says. Preston Savitz is inspired by Monuments Man
Lincoln Kirstein, an American impresario, art connoisseur, author,
and a major cultural figure in New York who co-founded the New York
City Ballet.

The
final Monuments Man in the film is Sam Epstein, played by Dimitri
Leonidas. Not yet 19, Epstein is the only real soldier in the
group, recruited for his ability to drive and to speak German.
“My character grew up in Germany – but Germany rejected
him, because he’s Jewish,” Leonidas says. The inspiration
for Leonidas’s character is Harry Ettlinger. “I was born in
Germany under the Jewish faith,” says Ettlinger. “Hitler
was on his way to get rid of all Jews in all the world. My
father lost his business, and my parents realized that economic life
for a Jew was no longer possible in Germany.”

Cate
Blanchett rounds out the cast as Claire Simone, a Frenchwoman in a
unique position in Occupied France. “Claire Simone is a curator at
the Jeu de Paume – once an art museum but became a kind of depot
for art looted by the Nazis,” Blanchett explains. “But her
real work goes on at night, when she records the provenance of the
works and where they were being taken in an obsessively detailed way.
She’s the catalyst for the third act of the movie – the Monuments
Men know the works are disappearing but they don’t know where they
are going, and they need her information.” Blanchett’s
character is inspired by Rose Valland, a French woman who bravely and
secretly kept track of the Nazis’ systematic tracking, risking her
life in the process.

“The
Monuments Men” opens February 12 in cinemas from 20th
Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Thanks to my cousin, we are lucky enough to attend the advance screening of Snowpiercer last night at SM Megamall. We didn't expect too much in this film since the trailer didn't look spectacular enough, but we pushed through because of the great actors in it.

In the future, the government failed an experiment to stop global warming resulting to a massive wipe out of all living things on Earth. The few remaining survivors inhabit inside a train called the "Snowpiercer" where it revolves around the planet. The people inside are divided into different classes where the elites stay on the front while the poor people are locked up at the tail. Sick, by the way, they are treated; the colonist in the back of the train planned to revolt. They are led by Curtis (Chris Evans) and must overcome the odds and reach the front to take full control of the train.

The film didn't waste any time in gaining momentum. It like a game where they need to endure different challenges at each stage facing a particular task. Every level gets one notch higher as they need to battle it out in order to survive. Each door they open is a visual spectacle as the movie never runs out of brilliant ideas, keeping the audience thrilled on what would happen next. It appears that Director Bong Joon-ho (The Host 2006) made a statement in his first film outside South Korea. He used his skills, get a little ambitious but still manage to pull away with a spectacle masterpiece.

Chris Evans fans wouldn't love his rugged look in this movie but handed out a strong performance. Octavia Spencer and Jaime Bell also did well in their department, portraying characters you definitely would care for. Tilda Swinton simply did a fantastic job as a villain as, she was quite irritating at times that makes us wish we can bash her head on the wall. And we almost forgot to mention the Korean stars Song-kang Ho and Ah-sung Ko who played the awesome father and daughter tandem.

Overall, Snowpiercer knows when exactly to pull the trigger in every scene. It managed to deliver perfect execution right from the very beginning. We don't usually recommend sci-fi themed films, but we highly recommend this one so don't you dare to miss it.

From
Academy Award-winner Paul Haggis (“Crash,” “Million Dollar
Baby”) comes the romantic thriller “Third Person” which jumps
from Paris to Rome to New York as it traces the hidden connections
between three very different men. The acclaimed film will be shown
exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting February 19.

Written
and directed by Haggis, “Third Person” had its successful world
premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and features
an all-star cast including Academy Award®-nominee Liam Neeson,
Academy Award®-winner Kim Basinger, Academy Award®-winner Adrien
Brody, Academy Award®-nominee James Franco, Olivia Wilde, Mila
Kunis, and Maria Bello.

“Third
Person” wends its way through three cities and three tales. The
various stories, situated in Paris, Rome, and New York, are, at first
glance, all separate, but Haggis effortlessly makes connections among
them as the film unwinds, concentrating on three men and their
romantic entanglements.

Michael
(Liam Neeson) is a writer whose latest manuscript has been refused,
so he flies off to Paris to rethink his life, leaving his wife (Kim
Basinger) behind in the States. Sean (Adrien Brody) finds himself
wandering the streets of Rome and befriends a Romanian woman in a
bar, while Rick (James Franco) lives in a tony New York apartment
with his son from a previous marriage and his new girlfriend.
Gradually, each one of these stories unveils its secrets, testifying
to the whims and complexities of life. Surfaces are deceptive in the
Haggis universe, but as each story is explored we discover untold
pleasures and pains. Life is never easy: it can be deceptive,
inhabited by anger and jealousy, but it can also be surprisingly
joyous.

Each
city in Haggis's film provides a physical landscape that reflects the
dilemma of the characters, and the locations are used in very
different ways. The sensuality of Paris, the warmth of Rome and the
edge of New York all heighten the atmosphere. “Third Person” is a
film of unexpected wonders, subtle shifts of mood, and powerful
emotions. Redemption can be found amidst the chaos, but so can its
opposite. Haggis pulls the strings masterfully while negotiating
between the two.

"The opportunity to
work with the master himself - Paul Haggis - on creating an
intelligent and intriguing relationship movie was an exceptional and
fulfilling challenge for me. To see how this group of brilliant
actors interpret the characters from the film, was an experience that
far exceeded my expectations," says producer Paul Breuls.

"This
is an incredibly personal story, the way 'Crash' was an incredibly
personal story," Haggis shares. "I posed several questions
to myself, as I was going along, and they were all about being in
love with someone who is impossible."

“Third
Person” is distributed in the Philippines by Axinite Digicinema.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Walt
Disney Pictures has just unveiled the second trailer for its fantasy
adventure “Maleficent” starring Angelina Jolie. The trailer,
which features Lana Del Rey's unique, never-before-heard rendition of
the fairy-tale tune "Once Upon a Dream," may be viewed below:

Del
Rey's reimagining of the renowned song from Disney's classic animated
film “Sleeping Beauty” will be featured in full during the
end-credits of “Maleficent.”

The
film explores the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from
the classic “Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal
that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a
fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides,
Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king's
newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the
middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has
grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent
realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is
forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.

Crystal Sky Multimedia promises another exciting year announcing some films on their lineup this 2014.

Geography Club

February 5

Synopsis:

16-year
old Russell is going on dates with girls while nurturing a secret
relationship with star quarterback Kevin, who will do anything to
prevent his teammates from finding out. Min and Terese tell everyone
that they're just best friends. And then there's Ike, who can't
figure out who he is or who he wants to be. Finding the truth too
hard to hide, they decide to form a Geography Club, thinking nobody
else would want to join. However, their secrets may soon be
discovered and they could have to face the choice of revealing who
they really are.

A Little Bit Zombie

February 26

Synopsis: Infected by a virus, a mild mannered HR manager attempts to fulfill his
overwhelming desire for brains, all while trying to keep it together so
as not to incur the wrath of his bridezilla-to-be.

Awards
& Nominations

Best
Feature Film Award: Fantaspoa Film Festival, Brazil

Best
Feature Film Award: Canadian Film Fest

Rising
Star Award: Canadian International Film Festival

Best
Feature Film Award: Honolulu Film Awards

Gold
Remi Award for Best Dark Comedy: Houston International Film Festival

Best
Independent Film Award: Mexico International Film Festival

Golden
Ace Award: Las Vegas Film Festival

Festival
Prize: Louisville Fight Night Film Festival

Golden
Palm Award: Mexico International Film Festival

2013
Best Feature Film: Freight Night Film Festival Kentucky

2013
Best Comedy Film: Freight Night Film Festival Kentucky

2013
Best Zombie Film: Freight Night Film Festival

2013
Bloody BrillianceAward: Horror Central

2013
Best of 2013 Award: Horror Central

Amy

March 5

Synopsis: With the psychic power of clairvoyance, an extra-sensory perception, Amy
starts witnessing haunting visions as her entire Amish village begins
to fall into demonic control. An ominous funeral director, Christopher,
uses Amy's special abilities to seek out the covert leader behind the
possession. Amy and Christopher must stop the fall of their village
before the Devil takes over Amy's soul-forcing them to perform a
controversial exorcism.

Curse of the Shadow

April 2

Synopsis:A
ruthless elven bounty huntress (Nemyt) shoots down the dragon ridden
by the fugitive orc shaman, Fangtor Bloodmoon. When Fangtor refuses
to surrender quietly, the huntress must battle for her own life
against the dangerous villain, and comes away with more than just his
head.

Copiii: The 1st Entry

June 18

Synopsis:Newlyweds Holly and Trevor Davidson are on a road trip to celebrate
their honeymoon in Miami when their new life together takes a surreal
turn. A whimsical pit stop in a tourist trap goes horribly wrong and
they find themselves forced to face an ominous new presence in their
lives and an ambiguous threat. But is that threat coming from Trevor's
family, Holly's dark past, or something far more sinister and
otherworldly, such as the ancient curse of the Copiii Pierdere?

First, we would like to thank Gateway Cineplex and Captive Cinema for the advance screening tickets last night. The premise looks like Sherlock Holmes is back to solve another case by searching the Midas Box.

Mariah Mundi's (Aneurin Barnard) world became tragic when his parents have gone missing and his younger brother Felix (Xavier Atkins), has been kidnapped. With the help of Will Charity (Michael Sheen), they must work together to save his family and locate the Midas Box first before it lands into the hands of Otto Luger (Sam Neill). If they fail, Luger will be the most powerful and wealthiest man alive.

The film has a really interesting plot, which revolves around a puzzling mystery of a lost artifact. It started well, keeping the film's piece steady, making us enjoy a comical performance from Michael Sheen. It suddenly looses momentum in the middle half as some scenes were bit dragging at times. At the end, it manages to recover the lost time, bringing out some few thrills and capping it off with a decent climax.

For the cast, as we mentioned we really had fun watching Micheal Sheen not only by playing a goofy version of Sherlock Holmes but also playing his magician alter ego. Sam Neill is also an effective villain while Aneurin Barnard had the charm but seems to lack some energy.

Overall, The Curse of the Midas Box keeps a basic structure formula for an adventure film. It could have been better as they had a great material to work with. It just needed some more spark and were hoping that the hanging ending will be made into a sequel in the future.

First, we would like to thank Crystal Sky Multimedia last night for inviting us to the advance screening of Geography Club at SM Megamall. The movie is adapted from the best-selling critically acclaimed novel by Brent Hartinger, which tackles about a group of GLBT high-school students.

Russell (Cameron Deane Stewart) falls in love with Kevin (Justin Deeley), their football team's quarterback. The two secretly hides their growing relationship when Min (Ally Maki) caught them kissing one night. Soon, Min invites Russell to join the Geography Club, a support group in their campus for gay and lesbian students. At first, Russell is reluctant to join to keep his secret but returns and became interested more to connect with his other fellow members. Will their secrets keep intact or will they finally decide to come out the closet?

We often get to see a gay-themed film released in our theaters. Its fresh to see a movie separating itself from blockbuster genres and tackle an issue that we find intriguing to watch. They tackled the issue smoothly and enlighten the audience to the world of gay teens who seems confused about their feelings. They also highlighted a soft approach towards bullying.

Even the actors are not that popular they brought life to their respective roles. Cameron Deane Stewart and Justin Deeley manage to spark the audience with their chemistry. They portrayed their characters well and reacted believably with their situations. The supporting cast also did a great job and supply the energy it needs to sustain the momentum all throughout.

Overall, Geography Club isn't filled with remarkable actors who can easily lure some moviegoers to watch the film. However, it surely has its strengths, as they made a charming formula and hopefully attracts a lot of audiences to see a captivating entertaining film. It's very different from other teen flicks, but we're sure that you'll find this movie really interesting.

The film, based on G.P. Taylor’s
novel “The
Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box,”
tells the story of
young Mariah Mundi (Aneurin Barnard), whose world gets turned upside
down when his parents (played by Ioan Gruffudd and Keeley Hawes) go
missing and his younger brother (played by Xavier Atkins) gets
kidnapped. Mariah teams up with Will Charity (Michael Sheen) to
embark on a journey that lands them at the Prince Regent Hotel, which
is operated by Otto Luger (Neill).

It’s discovered that Otto is
the one responsible for the kidnapping of Mariah’s brother, and he
might have also found the secret lair that contains the Midas Box.
With this box, anyone can turn anything into gold. And if it falls
into the hands of Otto, bad things will happen.

There’s a quote that you
said over 20 years ago in reference to your Carl Fitzgerald character
in “Death in Brunswick.” And that quote was, “Of all the
characters I’ve played, I think I have more in common with [Carl]
than I do with “Reilly: Ace of Spies.” I was wondering, even
though Otto [Luger] is a villain, what characteristics do you have in
common with him?

Did you see “Death in
Brunswick?”

No, I did not.

[laughs] OK. [Carl] is a kind
of hapless fool. I think the only thing I have in common with this
particular character would be the beard. [Otto] is a very, very bad
man, and I, myself, am a paragon of goodness.

Out of all the characters
you’ve played over the years, which is the one with whom you would
say you have the most in common, and which is the one with whom you
have the least in common?

Well, I’ve certainly got
nothing in common with this guy, apart from an affection for a good
neck tie.

I don’t know. I don’t think
anything I’ve played has been remotely connected to myself, apart
from when I’ve been playing myself in a documentary. Hopefully,
every character you play is vivid and complete unto themselves.
Inevitably, there will be something of yourself that kind of bleeds
into the character to some extent, but I hope they live and breathe
on their own.

This is based off the
first “Mariah Mundi” book, and a lot of successful, cinematic
franchises have been based on books as of recent years – including
“Harry Potter”; “Twilight”; and even “Jurassic Park.” If
you could place yourself in another franchise aside from “Jurassic
Park,” of which one would you like to be in at least one film?

With J.J. Abrams. Well, I like
J.J. I’d like to work with him again. “Star Wars” would be
cool.

Yeah, you guys did
“Alcatraz” together.

That’s correct.

There’s a moment in the
film where you narrate the tale of King Midas. If someone was to make
a documentary about the career of Sam Neill, who would you like to
have narrate it?

[laughs] Wow! That’s a
left-field question. Let’s see. Who would I like to narrate it?
Wow! I think Richard Burton. I think Richard Burton’s got the
sonority for it, you know?

Continuing with that, if
someone was to make a documentary about you, what would be the one
thing that they should include in it?

Oh, my affection for wine
probably. That’s my other life, which is diametrically opposed to
what I do as an actor. I’m a winemaker, and I find that
increasingly enthralling.

You do acting, and you do
winemaking. With this being called “The Adventurer,” do you also
consider yourself an adventurer of some kind or a risk taker of some
kind?

I’m not sure about the risk
taking, but I do think that my life has been a sort of very unlikely
adventure, and I never expected to be a working actor – let alone,
an actor that works regularly on film and television. That wasn’t
something I anticipated at all. I counted it up the other day –
I’ve worked in about 35 different countries, which is phenomenal.
Coming from a small town in a small country, this is beyond any kind
of reason. It’s beyond my wildest expectations. I never thought
that would happen, and it’s been greatly satisfying and, really, an
adventure.

Had you read the “Mariah
Mundi” books before doing this film?

No, I hadn’t. They’re kid’s
books.

Well, I thought you could
have read them to your children, or maybe just…

No, they’re too big for that
stuff.

[laughs] There’s a part
in the film where your character is having a rare steak, and he says,
“A little blood does liven up the parrot.” What is the one thing
in your life that kind of livens you up, even if it’s just a
little, tiny bit of it?

Conversation [and] stimulating
company. And my affection for wine goes beyond opening a bottle. I
think wine has immensely enriched my life, because I’m enthralled
with the soil and the seasons and the beautiful sort of rich cycle.
But also, the end product is so much… I love company; I love being
with friends; I love conversation with a glass of wine. So, yeah,
probably a glass of wine is the thing that starts me more than
anything else. I sound like a terrible alcoholic; I don’t think I’m
really [an] alcoholic. But I think, as a part of the fabric of one’s
life, the one element that you can introduce to a life – that I
introduced to the mechanics of my life – is a glass of wine. A
glass of wine goes a long way. [laughs]

[laughs] I wasn’t going
to assume you were an alcoholic or anything, because I do like wine
myself, and my girlfriend is a wino, too. She loves wine.

That’s my kind of girl.

[laughs] Actually, I
wanted to squeeze in one other question. I’m pretty sure you’ve
been asked a lot about “Jurassic Park” and the new one that’s
coming out [“Jurassic World”]. Even though you are not in it, if
[the filmmakers] were to call you up and say, “Hey can you come in
for a part in this, or even a cameo appearance?” would you still do
it?

Look, you never say no. I think
there’s a whole new cast and a whole new look at things, and I
think that’s great. As I said, I’d never say no, but I wish them…
well, I’m sure it’s going to be great, but they don’t need me.

“The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box”
is released and distributed by CAPTIVE
CINEMA.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Anyone
who ever designed a universe from a heap of parts on their bedroom
floor will know what Phil Lord and Christopher Miller,
writer/directors of Warner Bros.' new 3D animated comedy “The LEGO
Movie,” mean when they say that, growing up, they always had
buckets of LEGO® bricks. “We’d build spaceships and all kinds of
crazy things, but it wasn’t just the building, it was the infinite
possibilities of things to make and express that was so irresistible
and exciting,” says Miller.

As
filmmakers, their interest took a different focus. “Chris and I
were inspired by the ingenuity and humor that comes out of the
international LEGO community,” says Lord, referring to such outlets
as LEGO Cuusoo, the LEGO Group’s fan submission site for potential
new products, “ReBrick” forums where people can share their
creations, and the growing number of unique short films, using LEGO
bricks and minifigures, that are produced and shared online by
individuals from every corner of the world.

Such
is the fascination of the LEGO brand, an endlessly evolving and
hugely popular construction toy that has cultivated creativity across
generations and cultures since its inception. Committed to upholding
that principle, Lord and Miller knew from the start that this could
be no standard animation but a virtual build, a feature-length motion
picture made entirely of LEGO bricks and elements.

“We both thought,”
Lord continues, “‘Wouldn’t it be amazing to make a big, fun,
action-packed LEGO adventure that captures the feeling of being a kid
putting these pieces together, but on a truly epic scale?’ And what
if it could retain that handmade quality these little films have
that’s so engaging. Because part of the appeal of LEGO bricks is
how accessible they are as an art form, we wanted to make a film that
felt like something anyone could do in their own basement…provided
they had a gigantic basement and a few million bricks!”

Actually,
closer to 15 million, if you count each brick, character, set piece,
and prop needed, as the filmmakers ultimately realized their vision
for the film.

Indeed,
“There are two different ways people play with LEGO bricks,”
Miller relates. “One is to follow the instructions on the kit and
put together this awesome thing, whatever it is, which you then set
on your shelf and never use so it doesn’t break, and the other is
to take a pile of random pieces and make something from your own
imagination, then take it apart and make something else. ‘The LEGO
Movie’ uses these two different approaches as the basis for its
story, which is really about innovation and creativity and the
importance of change.”

Producer
Roy Lee calls the directors “two of the most creative people I
know. They did an amazing job on ‘Cloudy With a Chance of
Meatballs,’ which was a fairly thin book, and they came in and
reinvented some of the characters and really expanded it from what
was on the page. With the LEGO concept, we had a blank canvas and
they were the perfect guys to come in and invent a whole new world to
explore.”

States
Miller, “What we always try to do with our movies is create
something that would make us laugh, and make our friends laugh. We
don’t ever want to do something that talks down to kids.”

“Obviously,
kids and their parents will get it,” Lord says, “but we wanted to
bridge the generations and keep in mind that there’s a community of
adult LEGO fans who make the most complex and incredible creations a
kid might not even think of. My favorite films are the ones I can
take my granny to, or my parents and my girlfriend, or my nieces and
nephews, and know we will enjoy it together. That’s the most fun
you can have at a movie theater—when people of all ages are
laughing together.”

In
the film, police officer Alex Murphy (Kinnaman) becomes the star
product of OmniCorp, the world’s leading robotics defense company.
In a Detroit ravaged by crime, OmniCorp sees an opening for the
perfect policeman – a robot that can clean up the city, without
putting police lives at risk. Trouble is, the idea of a robot pulling
the trigger makes people anxious. To get it done, they compromise:
after Murphy is mortally wounded, he wakes up in the hospital mostly
a robot, barely a man at all – but all cop.

“OmniCorp’s
idea is that they need a man inside the machine, a man who makes the
decisions so the corporation won’t be held liable if something goes
wrong,” says Kinnaman. “They leave his emotions intact in social
situations, but when facing a threat or when a crime is committed,
the computer takes over. When they realize his emotions make the
system vulnerable, they completely shut them off. But when Alex comes
in contact with his family, his emotions find a way back and override
the computer system. He starts making his own decisions again.”

Kinnaman
says he was attracted to play the role of Alex Murphy after meeting
with director José Padilha. “José described his vision – his
philosophical and political ideas that could fit inside the concept
of RoboCop,” says Kinnaman. “You could use that concept to talk
about a lot of other interesting things. He wanted to make a fun
action movie that discusses philosophical dilemmas that we will face
in the very near future. And I wanted to be a part of that.”

The
issues aren’t just ethical or moral, but also very personal for
Alex Murphy. “In the movie, people have to believe that the machine
knows what it feels like to be human, so they keep Alex Murphy’s
brain intact. He has all his emotions. He has all his memories. He
has cognitive capabilities. However, he can’t hold his son or have
sex with his wife,” says Padilha. “It’s a nightmare being
Robocop. The movie is very much about the drama of this man facing
the existential question – how am I going to go forward like this?
Is Alex a machine or a human being?”

“We’re
talking about a plausible future, but one that doesn’t exist yet,”
says the actor. “Jose makes it very believable – not too
outrageous or farfetched. We’re close to the world of this movie –
we have bionic limbs, they’re attempting fake hearts. It’s still
science fiction, but it’s a realistic leap in the future.”

Kinnaman says that, like
many actors, being in costume helped him to portray the role – even
if this costume was by far a greater challenge than he’d ever faced
before. “The suit weighs about 45 pounds. It was constantly
uncomfortable, constantly at the wrong temperature, either too hot or
too cold. But that was very helpful. As awkward as I felt being in
there, I realized that it paled in comparison to what Alex Murphy was
feeling. I might have felt insecure and naked – because, weirdly,
you don’t wear clothes in the suit – but Alex would have felt 100
times that weirdness. It completely helped my character.”

Despite
the physical discomfort of the suit, Kinnaman sought to express the
way that RoboCop represents the cutting edge in robotics through his
character’s movements. Gone are the days of the clunky and jerky
robotics. “They are getting very good at making humanoid droids
move very realistically – for example, in Japan, they have nursing
droids with very soft movements that give comfort to old people,”
Kinnaman notes. “So the idea we had for RoboCop’s movement was
that it would be superhuman: everything would work exactly as it
should on a human body. He walks perfectly, extremely fluid.”
Still, they couldn’t resist making a small nod to the past. “We
also did want to make a small homage to the way Peter Weller moved –
for example, when I was walking, I’d turn my head first and then
the shoulders afterward.”

Opening
across the Philippines in Feb. 05, 2014, “RoboCop” is distributed
by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing
International.

Jackman will portray the
villainous Blackbeard in an all-new tale about author J.M. Barrie’s
beloved character Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow up.

Silverman stated, “Hugh
Jackman always delivers indelible performances that resonate with
audiences. We know he will create a Blackbeard who will be a powerful
presence in this original Peter Pan adventure.”

Kroll added, “There is
a reason that Hugh is known and loved the world over. He is
uncompromising in his dedication to every role, and we are all
thrilled to be working with him again.”

Best known to audiences
worldwide for his portrayal of the Wolverine, Jackman most recently
wrapped production on “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” reprising his
role as the conflicted Super Hero for the sixth time in that popular
film franchise. In addition to an Oscar® nomination, he won a Golden
Globe Award and earned a BAFTA Award nomination for his gripping
performance as Jean Valjean in 2012’s “Les Misérables.” This
past fall, Jackman led an all-star cast in the acclaimed dramatic
thriller “Prisoners.” Also an accomplished stage actor, he
received a 2004 Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway
musical “The Boy From Oz.”

Wright will direct the
as-yet-untitled Peter Pan adventure from a screenplay by Jason Fuchs.
Greg Berlanti and Paul Webster are serving as producers.

The
film is set for a worldwide release beginning July 17, 2015
(including The Philippines).